How DID We Survive?- Page 67

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 11:38am

"Italian leprechaun" THAT'S PERFECT!!!

[Liam]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 11:40am

DG i love your new icon

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 11:41am

Liam, are the rest of us chopped liver? No hello's to the rest of us?

[Liam]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 11:43am

HELLO bdwaygirl hello Rathnait62

lol

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 11:44am

DG - I was frustrated when I heard they were going in when they were, as I would have loved to have seen it before our show went up, but also had no desire to see it with the original cast.

Hello Liam.

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 11:45am

Hi, Liam. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

[Liam]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 11:46am

i am:) i want to go snowbording later

[Liam]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 11:47am

i miss BOOBS

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 11:49am

Yes, he is missed greatly. Hopefully, he'll have a moment when he gets back to pop in here for a quick hello.

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 12:10pm

O.K. I'm off to the store to pick up a few things. If I don't go now, I won't ever get outta here. Have a great day!

Posted: 2/13/05 at 12:33pm

Liam - my icon is a pic of my beautiful Robert He was part of a tribute done for Jack Dawn, who created the make-up for The Wizard of OZ. Then, he got to play the Tin-Man at the 60th anniversary re-release celbration at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

[mominator]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 1:58pm

Hello all. DG once again your Robert looks amazinly like Jack Haley!
Hiya Liam.
Rath Andrea is so good as Golde!

Posted: 2/13/05 at 5:07pm

Mom - he actually doesn't look anything like Jack normally. This make-up tribute was done by the top make-up artists working in the film industry at the time (there were many Oscar winners involved.) Robert's was done mainly by Bill Corso (prior Emmy winner and Oscar nominee - and probable nominee this year for Lemony Snicket) It was quite a process, and involved hours of work.

[mominator]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 5:33pm

Still quite impressive! How is your Sunday going?

Posted: 2/13/05 at 5:42pm

Mom - it's going very well - we're just about to get ready to go have dinner and see Tovah in Golda's Balcony

Hope all is well with you!

[mominator]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 5:43pm

Enjoy! Tovah is awesome.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 6:02pm

Well, mom, my Golde was pretty spectacular herself - but I'll give Andrea the benefit of the doubt.

[shira467]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 6:30pm

DGrant, you're coming to my neck of the woods? Enjoy Golda, I'm seeing it Tuesday night.

[mominator]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 8:44pm

Has anyone heard from Boobs yet?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 8:49pm

Not me, but as his wife, I'm generally the last priority.

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 9:01pm

Hm. Let's see. His boyfriend, kids, friends, then wife. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Nope, nothing here.

Updated On: 2/13/05 at 09:01 PM

[mominator]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 9:04pm

Sigh... I want to jump up and down and keep on asking "What did you bring me!!"

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 2/13/05 at 9:11pm

Well, mom, nothing's stopping you. Don't know how long you'll be jumping, though.

I'm making this raspberry crumble coffee cake to bring into work tomorrow and it smells soooooooooooooo good in here right now.

Posted: 2/14/05 at 2:31am

Since a couple of people expressed an interest in our reaction to Golda's Balcony, here's what I posted on the thread on the main board:

We just saw Tovah in the LA run in association with the Geffen Playhouse. I would be curious as to what the house size was like in NYC, as the Wadsworth here was very large (which I'm assuming was to capitalize on the high demand for tickets in this limited run.) Ms. Feldshuh really did command the entirety of the space - but I wouldn't have minded seeing it in a smaller venue.

It is obviously a performance of enormous dedication and passion. She was completely focussed from beginning to end - which is saying something, considering how many times she's performed this. I found her to be fully in charge of the stage and her audience, even with the large theatre size. The only question I had from an acting standpoint was what decissions were made concerning the physicalization of the age presentation. I felt that difference in physicality was being used to signify time diferentiation, but the changes were muddy, and I sometimes wasn't sure if how she was presenting herself matched the scenario being presented. Vocally, she was fully on top of her game - and emotionally 'present' for every second on stage.

My biggest questions arose from the script - and especially one very large production choice. I did wish, at times, for less of a history lesson and more of a personal connection to Golda herself. There was obviously an attempt made to present how invigorated she was by all these political and social events - but I did wish for a little more of how she was living through it all. There were some stretches that seemed to devolve into too much historical re-enactment, and I found myself thinking that if that's the direction you wanted to head, then you should have done a full-cast show.

As I said, my biggest question was a production choice, and that was to do it all in one act. I REALLY felt that the evening was a bit 'forced' ('rushed', if you will.) Of course, I would need to really sit with the script to analyze how I really think about this, but my impression from one viewing was that it should have been split into two acts. I thought the material could have been fleshed out a little more (especially as regards her personal life and reaction to historical events) and what was presented should have been allowed to 'breathe' a little more. The extra material and gentler pacing would have easily accomodated an intermission, and that is something I think the audience could have used and appreciated. These were weighty and hard-hitting emotional subject matters, and the audience could have used a little time to process and re-charge for the entirety of the piece.

Other than that, I thought the direction was fluid and encompassing - even with what I found to be a rather 'take no prisoners' approach. The space was well used, and for the most part, the transitions of time and space (and the inclusion of other voices) was well handled. This was ably abetted by the design, which made wonderful use of projections (although, I could have done with-out the rather cliched 'ticking clock' - especially when it went into time-lapse presentation.)

Overall, I did wonder if the ultimate intent was for an increased awareness of what the Jewish experience has been in recent history, or what one person of greatness can achieve. Certainly, the latter is more universal, but that's not to say that the Israli story is not worth focussing on. In making the choice for a one-person presentation, it's hard not to feel that the ultimate audience reaction should be one of inspiration for their own possibilities in life, as reflected in the story of this other person's life. I can't say that didn't happen, as I DO want to find out more about Ms. Meir. However, I'm not sure if I'm motivated to further investigate the history presented - so if that was the intent, they have failed with me on that count.

Certainly a worthwhile and heart-felt project, and I personally would be very interested to see what Ms. Duke will create with the role.
Updated On: 2/14/05 at 02:31 AM

[shira467]

Posted: 2/14/05 at 2:44am

As said on the main board (which so many people do not go to, so I will repost here), excellent review DGrant!